This invention relates to a yard waste storage disposal system which is ideally suited for collection and biodegradable disposal of yard waste including leaves, sticks, and other organic matter.
Yard waste such as leaves and small sticks are typically collected and disposed of in plastic or paper bags. In either case, the bags are relatively weak and can easily tear by use of too much force to pack the bags, or sticks and the like protruding through the bags. Additionally, plastic is not biodegradable, and plastic bags filled with yard waste thus cannot be disposed of as a whole as a biodegradable waste. Even the paper bags biodegrade relatively slowly. And, paper bags when wet from wet leaves or rain easily tear and fall apart.
Another problem with use of bags is that they are awkward to hold open and fill. Open metal frame devices have been developed to hold open plastic bags. However, the result is unsatisfactory for the reasons stated above, and further that the bag cannot be stuffed with any substantial pressure, because the sides or top of the bag will simply rip. Accordingly, these bags cannot be used to hold a substantial weight of yard waste. Also, the bags, even when placed in the frame, can easily tip or blow over, and thus cannot be left for any amount of time so that they can be slowly filled.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a yard waste storage and disposal system which solves the above noted problems by providing a free-standing frame defining an interior volume, and being substantially open at both the top and the bottom. The system also includes a compliant bag-like member large enough to line the entire inside of the frame and overlap at least some of the outside of the frame at its top, and which spans the frame bottom, to define an interior yard waste collection volume. The compliant member has a substantial volume of openings in it to allow rain water to pass therethrough so that it does not retain the water.
The result of this system is a yard waste collector which can be filled over time and left alone for a substantial time, since it is free standing and sturdy. The sturdiness also allows the waste to be packed down tightly, so that more mass of waste can be held in the bags, thus using fewer bags. When the bag-like members are full, they can be removed from the frame and tied or closed from the top. Since the entire bag-like member and its contents are biodegradable, it can simply be disposed of in a landfill or even in a homeowners yard, and left to biodegrade. Since the bag-like member is substantially open (preferably made of a biodegradable netting), the system can effectively be used as a composter, or at the very least can be left in place for a substantial amount of time and filled over the course of days or weeks depending on the frequency of yard clean up and the amount of yard waste to be cleaned up.